Aquarius

Week of November 19th

This week has you considering how your values align with your goals. People you used to have a lot in common with may be drifting away, or you may find yourself going off in search of new networks. Look at what you care about most, what you believe in, and see if you’re currently on track to live out those beliefs. Are you headed in the same direction as the people around you? You could find some subtle healing around work, money, and your career path. Your True Work is always about the gifts you have to offer the world. The full moon may illuminate something about your joy and your talents. Less work, more play.

Week of November 12th

Mars has been in your sign almost nonstop for the past six months, and I have good news! You’ll find a bit more peace on Thursday, when the planet of war moves out of your sign and into Pisces. Mars can be a wonderful force of vitality, but he hasn’t made this Season of the Retrograde easy for you. However, you have learned an awful lot about yourself and what you want, especially in relationships. On Friday, Venus stations direct, ending part of her cycle of insights about the legacy you want to leave and your path forward. Plan to go somewhere beautiful soon. The final retrograde of the year is Mercury retro in Sagittarius: revising old beliefs. What does your chosen community believe in? What Truths do you agree on? There may be an old belief worth questioning there; something that has become so rote you’ve forgotten that there is another way. From Friday through December 6th, say goodbye to groupthink.

Week of November 5th

Endings in your career or vocational aspirations deserve some acknowledgement and reflection this week. In the shadows of the dark moon lie some invisible insights about your purpose. What is the work you are meant to do in the world? What legacies have you already left behind, and what are you building on now? Let go of old personas that no longer fit you. You’ve increased your power and changed your identity over the past year. On Thursday, when Jupiter moves into Sagittarius, he begins a year-long cycle of expanding your community. Opportunities will come through social networks, and you will feel optimistic, even joyful, about your sense of belonging with these groups. Set intentions to seek out other people who share your ideals this year. True fortune lies in friendship.

November Forecast

November 1 – 11

Jupiter’s last Scorpio aspect – a collectively healing trine to Chiron in Pisces – is exact on the first of the month. Reflect on the truths that Jupiter has shown you during his year-long reign in the sign of secrets. What knowledge do you have now that was previously hidden from you? The truth, however horrifying it might be, can ultimately heal our collective wounds. The sun makes this same aspect at the end of the month (exact November 20th), reminding us to take a good look at the wound so we can diagnose it, clean it, and heal.

Venus continues her retrograde through Libra in the first half of the month. The themes of Venus here are all about relationships, equality, balance, harmony, peace, and beauty. With Venus retrograde in Libra, the cracks begin to show in a facade. Something that once looked beautiful or peaceful could turn out to have some ugliness, resentment, or uneasiness underneath. Peace and equality can be restored, if we look honestly at the situation and address it together diplomatically. Practice the art of compromise in the beginning of this month.

Venus begins to rise in the pre-dawn sky, as the morning star, on November 3rd. Venus as the morning star is known as Phosphorus, the bearer of light. She rises from her stay in the Underworld a bit lighter, having left an old habit, relationship pattern, or self-image down there to die. Shed your own old-era leftovers and greet Venus with the dawn on Saturday.

While Venus retrogrades through Libra, she will make a pleasant aspect to Mars in Aquarius (exact November 9th). The Mars retrograde of May through August was the first half of this story, where you became aware of blocks to your desires, and reflected on the actions you might take. The second half of the story is still unfolding, with Venus as the receptive nature showing you where you may have blocks to receiving, and asking you to reflect on what you’ve been tolerating. Venus and Mars are working together this month to help you bring your active and receptive natures into balance.

The sun in Scorpio shines a light at Neptune in Pisces on Midterm election day (November 6th). This could signify using our power and the wisdom of the truth to realize an elusive dream. It could also signify confusion, powerful manipulation and deception, and sleepiness or escapism from people who don’t want to look at the truth. With Neptune, we can always go both ways. We must envision a positive future together in order to live the dream we want. Wake others up from the collective nightmare. Since Uranus moves back into Aries on this day, too, we may be in for a volatile election.

For those who celebrate Samhain (the point in time at which the ‘veils’ between the worlds are thinnest), astrological Samhain is said to be when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Scorpio. This year, on November 7th, we have a Very Samhain New Moon at 15 degrees of Scorpio on the date of Samhain. (New moons are always at the same degree as the sun, but Samhain does not always coincide with a new moon). If you’re a procrastinator, an astrology fanatic, or if you just want to annoy everyone with your longwinded argument for why Samhain is actually November 7th – it’s a great new moon for a dumb supper for your ancestors. Set intentions to release and transform, break out your ouija board, and brew yourself a potion. This moon carries over that dreamy resonance from election day. Communication with those on the other side will be easier than usual, as will any kind of trance state, dreaming, journeying, or divination.

The biggest news of the month, in a month with a lot of news: Jupiter enters Sagittarius on November 8th! Jupiter is the ruler of Sagittarius. He will be happy to get back to his throne, where he can dole out good luck and abundance. Jupiter in Sagittarius is full of joie de vivre. He loves a raucous party, an adventure abroad, or a long, funny story. This year will be good for the expansion of knowledge, for traveling, and for luck in general. The Sagittarians could use it. Right away, on November 9th, Jupiter makes a beautiful aspect to the north node in Leo. Expansion will happen when we are true to ourselves and have free reign for self-expression. I’ll write more about Jupiter in Sag in a longer post.

The Scorpio sun gives a friendly nod to Pluto in Capricorn on November 11th. This aspect is in play the day after midterms, so hopefully we will speak truth to power and see some more changes in the crumbling traditional structures of the post-recession world. Keep one eye on the world’s 1%. Manipulative tactics can only succeed if we allow them to stay in the darkness.

November 12 - 20

Mars has spent much of the year in Aquarius. He’ll move into the watery sign of Pisces on the 15th of this month. Pisces is the sign of spirituality, collective consciousness, imagination, film, music, and the ocean. Mars, planet of action, has trouble making things happen in such a dreamy, peaceful sign. The traditional way of acting—going for it, competing, winning—won’t work for Mars here. In Pisces, Martial action happens through dreaming. Conversing with spirits, dreaming reality into being, and creating art are all Pisces-type activities. Mars may not look like he’s doing much here, but the action is all happening behind the scenes.

On the same day as Mars’ move into Pisces, the moon’s nodes change signs. This is significant because it heralds the ending of our Leo-Aquarius eclipse cycle (officially finished in January 2019). With the nodes in Cancer and Capricorn, our new Cancer-Capricorn eclipse cycle is underway. We started this cycle with the Cancer eclipse on July 12, 2018. Here’s what I said then about the Cancer-Capricorn axis:

The Cancer-Capricorn axis is about integrating emotions with ambition, trust with control, love with power, sensitivity with difficult choices, creativity with sensibility, the mystical with the practical. The north node in Cancer is about letting go of a need for order and recognition, and focusing our attention on caring for others. People with this placement excel when they put their talent for leadership to use for the welfare of children.

The nodal cycle lasts for about 18 months. For the next year and a half, we’ll be thinking with these themes. When the nodes move to 29 degrees of Cancer and Capricorn on November 15th, they’ll be in a tense configuration with Uranus in Aries and Venus in Libra. This cardinal tension puts us in a hot spot mid-month, just as Venus stations direct. What did you learn about desire and relationships this year? You’re about to be tested.

On November 16th, Venus stations direct at 25 Libra, ending our 40-day retrograde reflective period. But on the same day, Mercury stations retrograde at 13 Sagittarius! There is still more reflection to be done this month. Nevertheless, you will be able to move forward more easily on questions of relationships and value, a little lighter for what you’ve shed.

As always, Mercury retrograde happens 3-4 times a year, it’s over-hyped, and it’s just a time to exercise your patience. I will say that holiday gifts with mechanical elements – computers, phones, cars, gadgets – are best purchased before November 16th or after December 6th. Mercury is out of his element in Sagittarius, where he tends to be rather brash, maintain fixed opinions, and speak out of turn. It’s not the best Thanksgiving for reaching across the partisan table and convincing someone to see things from your point of view. In the case of political differences, arguments are likely (as if you needed an astrologer to tell you that in 2018). Focus on the nodes in Cancer and Capricorn instead: spending time with family and nurturing children. Use your Mercury Rx time privately to re-investigate some of your own opinions that have become dogmatic truths for you. Mercury will station direct at 27 Scorpio on December 6th.

On the 19th, Mars will square Jupiter in Sagittarius, reminding us that we can make our own luck when we believe in possibility. Conversely, if you believe you won’t get what you want, you’ll be right. Use this month to do some creative work behind the scenes, imagining a wonderful year with Jupiter in Sagittarius. You’ll be tested again when Mercury (retrograde) squares Mars from Sagittarius, where he’ll be hanging out with Jupiter and the sun on the 26th. Your thoughts have a lot to do with your luck.

November 21 - 30

The sun enters Sagittarius on American Thanksgiving this year (November 22nd). From people celebrating Thanksgiving as a time of gratitude, to people honoring the realities of history and indigenous genocide with UnThanksgiving at Alcatraz, Sagittarius season is all about the wider world. Sagittarius at its best seeks understanding with people in other countries, with immigrants, and with people of many religions. As I’ve mentioned, Mercury will be retrograde, so it’s not the best time for convincing arguments. Try to find some common ground with others.

There is a full moon at the 1st degree of Gemini on Thanksgiving night (technically November 23rd at 12:40 am EST). Ruled by Mercury retrograde, and in wide opposition to him, this moon is all about curiosity. Explore some new ideas. Believe nothing; entertain possibilities. Big ideas may inspire you. On Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend (the 24th), Neptune stations direct at 13 Pisces. Because Neptune is an outer planet with a long retrograde cycle, you will probably only feel this if you have planets or points around 13 degrees of Pisces, Virgo, Gemini, or Sagittarius in your natal chart. In this case, you may feel a sense of slipping back into the dream you were having before Neptune stationed retrograde on June 18, 2018.

The sun, Jupiter, and Mercury Rx will all be together in Sagittarius at the end of the month (exact November 26th and 27th). The time when Jupiter and the sun meet is usually considered to be lucky. However, this year they meet Mercury retrograde, too, with Mars squaring all of them. It’s possible to be so optimistic that we miss our blind spots, or have such fervent faith in something that we forget to question our opinions. Approach the end of the month with cautious optimism, then. At least Mars make a friendly aspect to Saturn in Capricorn on the 27th, helping you to see that austerity isn’t always your enemy. Sometimes the hard work just lines you up with the dream to come.Creativity flourishes within restrictions.

Venus will be in opposition to explosive wildcard Uranus all month long. On November 30th, she will make the third exact opposition of this Venus cycle, although the first two were on the Scorpio-Taurus axis and this one will be Libra-Aries. Finding balance and creating harmony won’t be easy with Uranus setting off fireworks at random times throughout November. Your grace and patience is requested, as you master the impulsive side of your nature with self-control. True to the themes of 2018, this month will be anything but boring!

Week of October 29th

This week you may make a big announcement or discovery in your career, or you may receive some public attention. Venus retrograde has been prompting you to let go of work and other public activities that don’t feel meaningful. Another development in home or family life is likely mid-week, just before Venus retrogrades into Libra. Still in the underworld, Venus here will ask you to shed past learning and old beliefs that no longer fit your philosophy. This will free you up for a slightly new direction, one that feels worthy. Mercury’s move into Sagittarius on Wednesday begins a cycle of community activity. If things are hard, put your faith in yourself. Only you can know what feels right for you.

Week of October 21st

This week you’re letting go of some old career goals and laying past versions of your professional life to rest. Something of a public nature, like a job or a significant relationship, no longer has as much meaning for you as it once did. People and situations from the past may have been reappearing over the last two weeks, helping you to remember and resolve old lessons. Allow what hasn’t been working for you to fall away. There is something new calling you now, something that you can feel in the soles of your feet. This week, you may have a sudden inspiration about what that is. Family members and ancestors, especially women, could announce surprising news. When in doubt, go back to your original sense of self and belonging. Who were you before there were any social expectations, any grades or paychecks? Follow the clues back to your wild heart.

Week of October 8th

This week’s new moon in Libra invites you to reclaim your hidden power and use it for courage on your travels. Intellectual, spiritual, or physical journeys may feature into this week, which is all about innovation and exploration. Form partnerships with those who seek similar beauty. It’s most important that you acknowledge your own power. We give it away when we allow others to make decisions for us, when we believe that we cannot affect change in our lives, or when we fear the darker parts of ourselves. Invite your power back in, darkness and all. Mid-week, after Mercury enters Scorpio, it’s like a lightning rod activated in your life. Zing! Suddenly, everyone sees the brilliance that awakened within your soul this spring. Let the electrical current of ideas inspire you. Envision a future in which you are fully awake, with no blocks to your success.

Week of September 30th

When Venus stations retrograde on Friday, you start a six-week cycle of considering what success means to you. Your reputation is up for review. Following your career goals up to this point may have led you to a certain amount of professional success. Now, a more personal definition of success is what matters. Put any worries about what other people think on the back burner and consider the legacy you want to leave. In the first two weeks of November, you’ll be developing a beautiful vision for the future.

October Overview

Venus Retrograde & Mars out of Shadow

This Libra season, with Venus in Scorpio, is imbued with the dark, rich undertones of that mysterious sign. October is no exception. Venus stations retrograde October 5th, leading us down the shadow-path of our secret stories about relationships, intimacy, and/or money. We can all use this time to review lessons from past relationships, investigate deep questions in current relationships, and reaffirm our core values. Mars leaves the shadow zone of his retrograde on October 8th, allowing us to integrate what we learned about our desires this past summer into this Venus cycle.

The cosmic dance of Mars and Venus symbolizes the dance between the yang and yin principles within all of us. Mars is active desire (yang/masculine), impulsively chasing what is wanted and taking action to create results. Without the aid of Venus, Mars can be thoughtless, brash, selfish, and unrefined. Venus is passive desire (yin/feminine), attracting and receiving what is wanted. Without the aid of Mars, Venus can be lazy, shallow, envious, and sacrifice true desires to keep up appearances. These archetypes need each other to be whole. The cosmic dance is the balance between the two extremes. When Venus squares Mars again on the 10th, it’s another step in this ongoing tango of desire. Mars’ retrograde through Aquarius this summer was frustrating, and that frustration taught us something about what we want. Now, Venus retrograde challenges us to take a deeper look at why we might not have what we desire. It is necessary to act, and equally necessary that we stay open to receiving. How are you achieving your desires? What is really stopping you, below the surface?

New Moon in Libra

The applying Venus-Mars square features in the new moon on October 8th. The new moon, at 16 Libra, squares Pluto in Capricorn, signifying buried emotions, compulsions, power struggles, and deep transformation. Moon in Libra is typically peace-loving, striving to create harmonious conditions between people in order to feel safe and happy. This lunar cycle, though, challenges us to break through surface harmony to get at the root of an emotion or a relationship issue. Only then can we transform and evolve. This lunation is framed by Mercury square Pluto on the 2nd (a preview) and sun square Pluto on the 12th (a review).

Uranian Fixed Cross Aspects

Mercury enters Scorpio, sign of depth, power, sex, mystery, history, taboo, and the occult, on the 10th. Mercury in Scorpio loves to play detective, asking the questions without easy answers and staying on the scene until he finally uncovers the truth. Immediately, Mercury makes an opposition to Uranus in Taurus (Oct. 10th) and squares the moon’s nodes (Oct. 11th), creating a fixed cross just as Venus did in mid-September. This pattern is still challenging us to make changes in areas where we would rather stay consistent. Themes of radical reinvention, money, power, individuality, and the environment all apply. The investigative quality of Mercury in Scorpio gives this set of aspects more of a mental focus: radically reinventing our thoughts. This opposition to Uranus and square to the nodes repeats when the sun enters Scorpio (Oct. 23-24): themes of radically reinventing the self. It repeats again when Venus retrogrades back over the earliest degrees of Scorpio Oct. 30-31: themes of radically reinventing values and relationships.

Creative Sextiles to Capricorn

A series of sextiles from planets in Scorpio to Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn symbolize building creative solutions to our problems, and thorough methods of investigating the questions that come up. This pattern includes Mercury sextile Saturn on Oct. 12th (building a laboratory for further investigation) and Mercury sextile Pluto on Oct. 22nd (powerful discoveries and transformative talks). Venus Rx then sextiles Saturn on the 24th (desiring stability in relationships), and the sun follows suit on the 27th (taking up the mantle of authority with ease).

Mercury in Scorpio, continued

Mercury meets our retrograde Venus in Scorpio on Oct. 15th, helping us to ask the right questions and speak the truth about Venus-retrograde themes: relationships and values. On the 19th, Mercury makes his own square to Mars, echoing the previous Venus-Mars squares and helping us to further investigate our active responses to our desires. Mercury also makes a trine to Neptune in Pisces on the same day, aiding us to create the ultimate vision that will prompt that action.

Full Moon in Taurus

After the sun enters Scorpio on the 23rd, we have a full moon at 1 degree of Taurus on the 24th. This full moon is conjunct Uranus in Taurus and opposite its’ ruler Venus (retrograde), giving the lunation the flavor of the fixed-cross set of aspects this month: radical reinvention. This is the part of Venus retrograde where something comes to fruition or needs to be let go. We are radically reinventing relationships, values, money, power, and our use of resources. Expect the unexpected where Uranus is involved. This is a moon for swift, extreme change.

Still in Scorpio

Venus Rx meets the sun in Scorpio on the 26th, illuminating some of the desires or lessons we’re left with after that full moon. On the 29th, Mercury meets with Jupiter in Scorpio, giving us some wisdom from this one-year period. Jupiter will move into Sagittarius on November 8th. What secrets have you uncovered since Jupiter moved into Scorpio in October 2017? What mysteries have you followed down the rabbit hole? What have you discovered about your own power? Jupiter will be trine Chiron in Pisces all month (exact November 1st): a set of teachers for our collective healing through the discovery of the truth.

Halloween

Finally, on October 31st, Venus moves into Libra to continue her retrograde journey. Venus rules Libra, so she is at home here in the sign of relationships, harmony, and symmetry. Still retrograde, Venus here asks us to reflect on the source of harmony in our partnerships: is it rooted in understanding, or are we just “keeping the peace” to avoid conflict? Mercury moves into Sagittarius on the 31st as well. Sagittarius is the sign of adventures, travel, philosophy, honesty, and enthusiasm. Mercury here is brashly honest and sometimes comedic: he will say what he thinks, and tact is not a strong point. With Venus retrograde and Mercury in the sign of his detriment, it can be a fun, raucous party as long as the Librans can tolerate tacky costumes and tactless remarks with some good humor. Halloween this year actually has less Scorpio energy than most of October so far. Jupiter in Scorpio is still along for the ride, though, inviting us to explore the darkness of this spooky holiday. Happy Halloween!